Visit From The Cold
by Sleets
Summary: The forest Clans already have problems within, but a visit from cats of a long forgotten Clan brought true chaos into the forest. Even worse, these cats don't plan their arrival as a visit at all. Full summary inside!
1. Allegiances

**Full summary: **Long time ago, there were more than just 4 Clans. This extra Clan, name long forgotten, was one day taken away by Twolegs and whisked off to the North. It appears they had wanted to kill these cats for their thick fur, but because of one young and brave warrior, Blizzardstorm, the Clan was saved. He was made Clan leader not long after. The ancestors of this Clan detached themselves away from StarClan to guide them. The North is no place for a cat to live in, but somehow, the Clan found a group of fir trees nearby, thankfully. Many cats died, but the stronger ones survived to make sure their Clan will always live on. They hunt on snow rabbits and other small animals that lives in the empty coldness. Remembering the words Twolegs used, they called themselves NorthClan, and their warrior ancestors, AuroraClan, because of the existence of the northern lights that proved they are watching. Now, they are about to return to where they belong, in the forest.

**Author's Note: **Don't get me wrong! It's not the North pole or something... just somewhere in the North, but not exactly that far north. And the name Glacierclaw was borrowed from the real Glacierclaw in fanfiction, who's supposed to be a she-cat. So I'm pointing out that Glacierclaw was originally a she-cat, not a tom, and I would like to thank her for lending me her awesome name! This takes place between Starlight and Twilight, so pretend Twilight never happened :D. And Graypaw would remind Firestar of his lost friend!

**Disclaimer:** If I had owned Warriors, this story would not be here. I only own the plot and the characters.

**Allegiances of NorthClan**

Leader :

Blizzardstar – Pale gray tom with blue eyes

Deputy :

Icefur – Big white tom with icy blue eyes

Medicine Cat :

Frozentail – Blue-silver she-cat with green eyes

Warriors :

Whitestorm – Pure white tom, blue eyes  
_Apprentice, Graypaw_

Snowcloud – White she-cat with gray paws and green eyes  
_Apprentice, Smokepaw_

Glacierclaw – Sturdy gray tabby with white paws  
_Apprentice, Whisperpaw_

Icywind – Swift pale tabby tom with darker gray paws, blue eyes.

Hailstorm – Dark gray tom, amber eyes

Sleetfur – Gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Queens :

Frosttail – Pale silver tabby with a white tail

Silverpelt – Silver she-cat with amber eyes

Elders :

Firleaf – Dark gray tabby she-cat, oldest cat in NorthClan

Apprentices :

Smokepaw – Smoky gray tom with amber eyes

Graypaw – Gray tabby tom

Whisperpaw – Pale silver she-cat with a white foot, blue eyes

Kits :

Sealkit – Sturdy dark gray tom, Frosttail's kit.

Flakekit – Pure white she-kit with a gray chest. Frosttail's kit.

**A/N:** If you think this story is cool, please review and tell me if I should continue. If people think this story is crap, then I wouldn't bother continuing anymore.


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

A blue-gray she-cat pushed her way through thick brackens, the stars reflected in her silver pelt. Her paws made no sound as she walked through the twinkling ground; she looked almost like she's floating. She didn't stop until she reached a clearing. Sitting down, she watched as the stars descended into the ground, turning into cats.

"Cats of StarClan!" She called out as the last cat touched the ground. "I have seen it in the stars. The ancient secret will stay no more!"

"Bluestar, do you mean NorthClan?" A black tom asked.

Bluestar fixed him with a steady gaze. "Yes Nightstar. NorthClan have lived many uncountable moons of suffering in the cold. The North is going to get much worse. The cats must move and reclaim their rightful place in the forest. Same goes to AuroraClan."

Ripples of unease passed through the group of cats. A beautiful silver she-cat stepped forward. "You're right, Bluestar. But they will cause chaos in the forest. Four Clans are existing in uneasy harmony. What will happen if another Clan joined?"

Cats murmured their agreement but Bluestar flicked her tail to silence them. "You have a point there, Silverstream, but how would you feel if you lived countless moons in the cold? NorthClan cats are dying; they have to return to where they rightfully belong. There's no wrong in that." The once noble leader of ThunderClan met the she-cat's gaze steadily.

Silverstream dipped her head respectfully.

Bluestar passed her gaze over the starlight warriors. "If no one else objects, then it is decided. NorthClan will return."

&&&&&&&&

Leafpool found herself in a place she had never gone to before. It was vast, with not a single tree nearby. Above her, a star glinted and descended. Leafpool leaped back, trying to yowl, but she seemed to have lost her voice.

The star soon took a shape of a cat, a familiar cat. Leafpool relaxed as she recognized the tortoiseshell fur and gleaming amber eyes. "Spottedleaf!" she meowed, regaining her voice.

Spottedleaf purred and padded closer. The younger medicine cat realized she was dreaming. "Leafpool," the she-cat murmured. "I have come to warn you. NorthClan is returning… you must be ready for them."

"NorthClan?" Leafpool echoed, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of another Clan. "Is that a new Clan?"

Spottedleaf did not answer. Instead, she began to walk away.

"Wait!" Leafpool yowled. "Don't go!" Her surroundings began to swirl and Leafpool felt dizzy. After a while, everything stabilized and she found herself in an unexpected place. White. Everything was white, except a bunch of trees nearby. The blanket of snow stretched out far into the distance. The cold was almost painful, twice or maybe thrice as cold as a normal leaf-bare in her own forest. "What is this place?" she wondered aloud. Suddenly desperate to see if StarClan was still there, she lifted her gaze fearfully, as if afraid there wouldn't be a single star.

What Leafpool saw in the sky took her breath away. Even though it was night time, the sky was lit up with the colors of the rainbow and more. Beautiful strings of colorful lights danced in the sky, its faded effect casting a wonderful image in the sky. It was the most beautiful thing Leafpool has ever seen, even better than the Moonpool. She gasped aloud in awe, almost forgetting to breathe.

"Look into the forest, young one." Spottedleaf's voice sounded somewhere close. Leafpool gazed into the single clump of trees. She padded closer and saw that the trees were unique. They had long spiky leaves, pointing out in a uniformed way. It was triangular, with the snow balancing on the leaves. As Leafpool pushed in between the trees, it began to snow.

"Spottedleaf, I'm lost!" Leafpool cried out desperately. Every tree seemed to be the same.

"No, I'm with you. Follow me."

Relieved, Leafpool staggered clumsily after the scent of the medicine cat. After moments of walking, she came upon a small frozen lake. Spottedleaf did not stop. She swerved around the lake and continued on. Panting and shivering, Leafpool gazed around in awe at this mystical place that was shown to her. Suddenly, Spottedleaf's scent stopped abruptly.

Leafpool's gaze darted around and stopped at a clearing. Trees and bushes protect this clearing, and it seems to be slightly warmer than outside. Her fur was dripping wet and the cold nipped at her ribs. But then she saw something familiar.

Cats were gathered in a circle, and when she got closer, she saw a frozen body of a dead cat, sprawled out in the middle. A dark gray cat howled his grief to his sky at the loss of his friend. A majestic cat with paler fur appeared. His accent was strange, but she caught some of his words.

"I'm sorry… partly by cold… partly by artic wolf…"

She couldn't understand much but she understood enough. The dead cat was killed by the cold and a creature. They need help!

As if responding to her thoughts, Spottedleaf meowed, "They need help. They can survive no longer in this cold, they will return to where they rightfully belong, in the forest, with all the other Clans. It is the duty of the four Clans to prepare for their place in the forest."

With that, Spottedleaf's scent faded, so does the scene in front of her. Leafpool was dragged down to darkness.


	3. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Sleetfur is _not _my name, even though my warrior name does start with Sleet.

**Chapter 1**

_NorthClan POV_

Darkness crept through the trees of winter; icy winds blew mercilessly, changing the direction of the falling snow. Snow rabbits shivered as they tried to return to their homes. However, one rabbit wasn't fast enough. A flash of dark fur and a blurred shape dashed out from his hiding place, leaping upon an unfortunate hare. The rabbit knew death moments later.

Hailstorm shook the snow out of his fur, carrying his prey proudly. Even though the rabbit was extremely thin, it was still quite a catch in these cold times. In the north, it was always cold, but there are times when the north is at its coldest. He shivered against the icy winds. Even though his fur was long, he was still thin and suffered from the bitter snow. He looked up and saw the northern lights forming against the night sky. AuroraClan is watching them. With a surge of hope, he bounded across the endless snow, hoping to return to camp as soon as possible.

As soon as Hailstorm reached camp, he knew something was wrong. An air of grief and shock hung over the camp and he ran quickly, a growing sense of dread inside him. Thin, ragged cats were gathered in the middle.

Quickly, Hailstorm pushed past them and stopped dead. In the middle lay the body of a thin cat, the gray tabby fur, the white paws…

Hailstorm threw back his head and wailed. "Glacierclaw! Noooo!!!"

A pale gray tom made his way to the grief-stricken warrior. "Hailstorm," he meowed gently, touching his tail on the warrior's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. He died partly because of the snow, and partly because of an artic wolf."

Hailstorm stopped wailing and looked at his leader with blank eyes. "Blizzardstar… Glacierclaw was my best friend…"

"I know…" Blizzardstar bowed his head in memory of his best warrior. "He was a wonderful cat... a great friend, a loyal warrior. His loss will be felt by NorthClan for a long time."

Hailstorm sat down in the snow, his heart gaining weight. Memories of the times they spent together rushed through him. However much he knew that there was no use grieving, sadness had pierced his heart.

He began to groom his friend's fur for the very last time as Blizzardstar leaped up on a frozen rock. "Cats of NorthClan, you have witnessed how cruelly the north has taken Glacierclaw away from us. We will now perform the ritual, and I will make some important announcements. Take over, Frozentail."

The blue-gray medicine cat dipped her head and pressed her nose against the dead warrior's head. (A/N: Made this up myself) "I, Frozentail, medicine cat of NorthClan, ask AuroraClan to look down upon this warrior. He had given up his life in service of his Clan; we honor his courage, we remember his spirit, and we commend him to you in our turn. May this noble spirit find sanctuary in AuroraClan run with his warrior ancestors."

Her words were firm and assuring, but many cats looked at each other uncertainly. Blizzardstar dipped his head in grief for a moment before looking up again. "We will bury his body at dawn. Now, I will break some news to you." He hesitated, flashing a glance at his deputy, Icefur. The white warrior blinked and nodded.

Blizzardstar went on. "The North is approaching its coldest. Artic wolves roam more freely than before, and they have stolen our prey. To make things worse, fish in the lake is becoming more scarce, and we barely have anything to eat. You have seen the death of our strongest warrior. The North is going to get much more colder in a few moons time, and if I didn't predict wrongly, we will not survive."

Shocked yowls broke out from the Clan and a smoky gray apprentice wailed. "We're dead!"

Blizzardstar suddenly drew himself up tall. "We are not going to die, Smokepaw." he meowed firmly, his tone sending little but precious message of encouragement to the Clan. "I will do what I need; I promise we will make it to new territory."

Smokepaw still wasn't convinced. "Blizzardstar, in this cold, kits can't survive."

The leader met the apprentices gaze. "I promise you, Smokepaw, I won't allow you to die."

Smokepaw held his gaze for a long time, his blue eyes defiant. Finally, he dipped his head and sat down, his fur still bristling.

Hailstorm kept his eyes to the ground. Leaving his home meant much more to him; it meant leaving the memories he shared with Glacierclaw behind.

Blizzardstar kept his eyes on the apprentice, his blue gaze sad and thoughtful. "AuroraClan have sent both me and Frozentail a sign." Briefly, he described his dream about the forest. Hailstorm looked up at Frozentail and Blizzardstar. There's still hope. His mind drifted in wonder at the forest his leader mentioned. Would it be warm?

"I hope it would be warmer…" A voice beside him murmured. Hailstorm craned his head, flashing the gray and white she-cat a sideway glance. Sleetfur was looking upset, her ear twitching uncomfortably. Numbly, Hailstorm recalled how Glacierclaw had shown his affection to the she-cat.

_Hailstorm padded beside his friend, the fish in his jaw limp. Glacierclaw had a weird expression on his face. "What's wrong?" Hailstorm tipped his head to one side. _

"_Hailstorm…" he murmured. "I—I think I am falling for a she-cat."_

_Hailstorm was taken aback. For a moment, he felt a prickle of envy towards the lucky she-cat. Glacierclaw would probably spend more time with her now. "Who is the lucky she-cat?"_

_His friend lifted his head, his eyes glowing. "Sleetfur."_

_An image of a beautiful long-furred silver and white she-cat entered Hailstorm's mind and he purred. "Congratulations, Glacierclaw!" Strangely, he felt almost disappointed. "Have you told her?"_

_Glacierclaw shook his head, his face fallen._

_Hailstorm nudged his friend. "It's not like you to be so shy. I thought nothing can bring you down!"_

_Glacierclaw locked gazes with his friend and nodded. "You're right, I'll go tell her!" Shivering, he started to walk away._

_Hailstorm was reminded of his own chill. Determined to hunt more, he trudged through the snow deeper into the woods._

Oh, why hadn't he followed Glacierclaw back to camp? Then at least they can suffer together. It was because of his stupid hunting decision that his friend left. Even a thousand rabbits can't make up for his lost friend. All the same, he felt a twinge of pity for Sleetfur. She never got the chance to learn of the tom's strong feelings for her.

Hailstorm stretched his head to touch Sleetfur's cheek with his nose, trying to comfort her. The she-cat recoiled and stared at Hailstorm, her eyes deep with grief and loneliness. She dipped her head and stepped away from him.

"I have discussed this with Whitestorm and Icefur, and we agreed that it is time for us to return to this forest that AuroraClan have shown us. We will leave tomorrow at dawn. Icefur, is our cats fit?"

Icefur stepped forward, his eyes glittering. "All of us are hungry, but fit enough to travel. However, I am worried for the safety of Frosttail's kits, Sealkit and Flakekit. Also, Silverpelt is expecting kits." A cloud of anxiety covered his icy blue eyes, and Hailstorm was reminded that Frosttail is the deputy's mate.

"And how would we know the way?" Snowcloud called out.

"A guide will be sent to us," Blizzardstar assured her. "AuroraClan have shown it to me. If there are no more arguments, we will now proceed in building up our energy, and in dawn, we will set out, and meet our promised guide, to new territory." He sighed and bounded down, heading towards his den, Icefur close behind.

Hailstorm sat down in the light snowstorm, his pelt blowing in the strong wind. Bending down, he licked the snow out of Glacierclaw's pale pelt. A shuffle sounded beside him and he looked up to see Sleetfur, her eyes fixed on the body of the cat that had once loved her. She sat down quietly, her leaf green gaze filled with such sadness it can break a cat's heart.

"Did you know how he feels about you?" he murmured, his question directed to the only cat by his side. No one else wanted to stay in the snowstorm to grief.

Sleetfur kept her eyes on Glacierclaw. "I loved him," she whispered, her voice filled with pain.

_Glacierclaw would be overjoyed if he can hear this._

**A/N: **Please review!


	4. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Pretty short chappie, and not very interesting... just showing what's going on in ThunderClan! Don't worry, it'll get better!

**Chapter 2**

_ThunderClan POV_

Leafpool halted in front of the lichen-covered den. "Firestar!" she called out.

Something stirred inside and a fuzzy voice answered, "Come in."

Leafpool took a deep breath and ducked to enter. Her father was half-asleep, forcing himself up. "What is it Leafpool?" he looked past his daughter to the entrance of his den. "It's not even dawn yet. What is the matter? ShadowClan attacked?"

Leafpool didn't reply. The tabby she-cat shuffled her paws uncomfortably.

Firestar shook himself and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. When he saw the troubled look in the medicine cat's gaze, he instantly awakened fully. "Leafpool," he meowed urgently. "What's wrong? Why have you come? Tell me!"

Leafpool decided to go straight to the point. "Firestar. StarClan have sent me another sign."

"A sign? What sign?"

Leafpool began blurting out everything she had seen and heard. In the midst of pouring everything out, a nagging worry formed in her mind as she thought of how Cinderpelt would react if she found out her apprentice has another dream yet again.

Firestar remained rigid after she finished her last few words. "NorthClan?" he meowed, puzzled. The words were stiff at his tongue; he never heard of it before.

She nodded unsurely, her dream as vivid as ever. She could never forget the haunting beauty of that lonely place and the cold… Leafpool winced as she recalled how the place was so cold it was actually painful. But she knew those cold winds had not blown over the cats heart. They still grieved for their lost friend.

"And you say there's AuroraClan?"

Leafpool looked up. Her father was looking at her expectantly, his eyes shining in the gloom. "Yes," she murmured.

Firestar lowered his gaze to the ground. Leafpool waited patiently, her heart beating fast. When he looked up again, she desperately searched his eyes. Was he going to allow them to return? Her heart lifted when she spotted anxiety in his green depths. Her heart sank again as her father shook his head.

"You won't let them return?" she asked timidly.

"It's not that. But it's not my decision to let them come back; we need to discuss this with the other leaders."

Leafpool leaped up, her eyes lighting up. "Let's go now!"

Firestar let out a purr. "Not now. We will wait until the next Gathering."

She nodded, sitting down again. However disappointed she was, she knew he was right. Now was no time to provoke the other Clans by trespassing.

Her father nodded at Leafpool to dismiss her. "You may go now, if you don't mind. Your poor old father is going to die of lack of sleep," he murmured a tone of amusement in his voice.

Leafpool knew it was a joke but when she observed Firestar carefully, she could see he was exhausted by his fur, ears and eyes. Feeling a pang of guilt, she dipped her head and backed out of the den, her mind whirling. She felt worse when she saw Cinderpelt heading towards her, fully awake. Swallowing nervously, she padded over to her mentor.

Cinderpelt's blue gaze was mildly curious. "What brought you to Firestar so early?"

Leafpool found, with dismay, that she could not meet Cinderpelt's gaze squarely. "Did I wake you up?" she meowed evasively.

"No… I just sensed something was wrong," she frowned upon Leafpool's hesitation. "And something _is _wrong, am I right?"

"I—I got another dream," Leafpool stammered uncertainly.

Cinderpelt remained quiet.

"I'm sorry," Leafpool blurted out. "StarClan should have told you."

Cinderpelt shook her head and let out a purr of amusement. "No. StarClan chose to tell it to you. You're the future ThunderClan medicine cat!" She had meant to reassure Leafpool, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was a sign. A sign that Leafpool's place as medicine cat of ThunderClan would come soon. And if that happens… she herself…

Leafpool noticed a flicker of worry passed her mentor's wise blue eyes. "Is… anything wrong?"

Cinderpelt shook herself roughly. "Don't worry! Nothing is wrong, really!"

"Okay. I'm going out to hunt for some herbs," Leafpool offered.

Cinderpelt nodded, relief clear in her expression. "Thank you."

Leafpool's eyes followed her mentor as she returned to her own den. Shaking herself briefly, she slipped out of the stone hollow silently. The air was chilly, but here and there, Leafpool spotted signs of thaw. One or two flowers were beginning to sprout out from the snow, and the snow in the trees were melting, and dripping onto her head.

Leafpool shook the water droplets away and focused on hunting for some useful herbs. Unknowingly, her paws led her all the way to WindClan border.

With a sudden jolt, Leafpool remembered what happened only a few nights ago. Alarmed, she veered off sharply away, hoping to return quickly to ThunderClan.

Too late.

"Leafpool!" a voice called out from behind.

Leafpool couldn't forget that voice. Slowly, she turned around, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the familiar lean shape. Swallowing uncomfortably, she made her way to the border.

Crowfeather's eyes shone as he stepped forward, just at the border, to touch his nose to hers.

Leafpool drew away reluctantly. Much as she wanted to press her muzzle onto his fur, she knew how much it was forbidden.

Crowfeather gazed at her with a hurt expression. "Do we have to be this way?" he murmured quietly. "I couldn't forget that night… I thought you felt the same way, Leafpool…"

Leafpool looked up to meet his eyes. "I do," she whispered.

Light returned to the tom's gaze, and he purred. "I do too."

Before he could say anything else, more scents wafted near.

"I have to go," Crowfeather hissed at Leafpool. He held her gaze for moments longer before he spun around, yowling, "I'm coming!"

Leafpool couldn't help feeling relieved. Trying to forget Crowfeather, she padded away from WindClan border, looking out for herbs.

The sun was almost directly above her when she returned with a mouthful of herbs. The first thing she saw was Squirrelflight. The second thing was Brambleclaw, and the third, Ashfur.

Dropping the herbs quickly near the entrance of Cinderpelt's den, she watched curiously.

"Stop ordering cats around like they're apprentices!" Squirrelflight spat.

"Well some of them _do_ behave like apprentices!" Brambleclaw flashed a look of contempt at Ashfur.

"Don't drag Ashfur into this! If you were half the warrior Ashfur is, I'd be thanking StarClan!"

"If you want a fight, Squirrelflight, you'll have it."

With a sinking feeling, Leafpool realized the two warriors were at the brink of attacking each other. Remembering how they used to be inseparable in the past, she wondered how they had gotten from then to now. She rushed forward quickly to help, but Ashfur was faster.

"Calm down, Brambleclaw," Ashfur meowed. "Squirrelflight didn't say she wanted a fight."

Leafpool winced. Why couldn't he see that he's making the situation worse?

At that moment, Firestar appeared from his den, shoving his way between his warriors. "What's going on here?" His voice was angry, and Squirrelflight froze.

Many warriors had gathered by now, watching the heated argument.

Firestar whirled around to face his daughter. "Squirrelflight, I expect better of you, being my daughter. Go and make yourself useful, instead of picking a fight with Brambleclaw."

Turning around to the tabby tom, he hissed. "And you… come with me." With an angry lash of his tail, Firestar headed towards his den, Brambleclaw following slowly behind, his steps jerky.

Leafpool rushed over to Squirrelflight. She had never seen her sister look so dejected.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Without another word, she brushed past her sister and broke into a run into the forest.

Leafpool sighed wistfully. With so many problems in the Clan, the prophecy of NorthClan was the last thing on her mind.


End file.
